Restricting internet access using parental controls

You can set up different access profiles in the FRITZ!Box and define the following for each of them in detail:

how long and when internet use is allowed on individual days of the week.

which websites are blocked or which are the only ones that can be accessed.

which network applications (for example online games) are blocked from accessing the internet.

You can assign each access profile to one or more network devices in the FRITZ!Box home network. This way you can ensure that all devices used by a particular person, such as computers, smartphones, and game consoles, have the same limitations and are subject to the same budget.

Requirements / Restrictions

The parental controls function is not available if the FRITZ!Box shares the internet connection of another router ("Internet router as IP client"). In this case, regulate internet access in the other router.

As a rule, devices in the guest network (private hotspot) are assigned to the "Guest" access profile and cannot be regulated on an individual basis.

Note:The configuration procedure and notes on functions given in this guide refer to the latest FRITZ!OS for your FRITZ!Box.

1 Preparations

Creating filter lists

If you would like to prevent certain websites from being displayed (blacklist) or only want to allow users to access certain websites (whitelist), enter the addresses (URLs) in the respective filter list:

Important:If you enabled the filter for websites for a specific access profile, as a rule direct IP access to websites is blocked for members of that profile. You can check the list of "Permitted IP addresses" to see which IP addresses the FRITZ!Box prevented from being called up and release them if you would like.

Enter the internet addresses (URLs) or IP addresses in the field (no more than 500 entries per list). Press the space bar after entering each address.

Example:poker.com xxx.com aggro.tv

Click "OK" to save the list.

Configuring network applications

If you would like to block certain network applications (such as online games) from accessing the internet, you must first configure this in the FRITZ!Box:

Important:You can only block network applications that exclusively use the TCP and UDP protocols.

2 Setting up an access profile

General access profiles are preconfigured in the FRITZ!Box. All devices in the home network that have not been assigned to a specific profile are automatically assigned to the "Standard" access profile. The access profile "Guest" applies to all devices in the guest network.

If you would like to regulate internet access for particular users or user groups on an individual basis, set up a separate access profile for each of them:

Click on the "Access Profiles" tab and then the "New access profile" button.

In the "Name" field, enter the name of the user or user group you would like to regulate internet access for.

Define when internet use should be allowed in the "Period" window.

In the "Time Budget" window, specify how long members of this profile are permitted to use the internet on individual days of the week.

Note:Tickets can be used to extend online time by 45 minutes per ticket. Tickets are displayed under "Internet > Filters > Access Profiles" in the user interface and are redeemed in the browser on the page that is displayed when online time has been exhausted.

If you set up a time budget and all of the devices with this access profile are supposed to share the available time, enable the option "shared budget".

Important:It only makes sense to use shared budgets for access profiles of individual users who use more than one device to access the internet. This option should not be enabled for user groups.

Enable the option "Use of guest access blocked".

If you want to block individual websites or only want to permit access to certain websites, enable the option "Filter web sites" and configure the desired settings. Here you can also block access to all websites that are indexed by the German Federal Review Board for Media Harmful to Minors (BPjM).

Note:The option "Block web sites with adult content" is only available if you select Germany as the country of use under "System > Region and Language".

If you want to block particular network applications from accessing the internet, select the applications from the drop-down list "Block network application".

Click "OK" to save the access profile.

3 Assigning an access profile

You can assign access profiles to all devices that were connected to the FRITZ!Box home network at least once. If the FRITZ!Box Child Protection software is installed on the Windows computers in your home network, you can also assign access profiles to all Windows user accounts:

Important:In the computer management, assign restricted user rights to all Windows user accounts whose internet access you would like to regulate.

Select the desired access profile for the device or Windows user from the drop-down list.

Example:You created the access profile "John" for your son. John uses the FRITZ!Box's internet connection with his smartphone, his game console, and the Windows user account "John Smith" on the family's computer. To ensure that John's budget includes internet access from all of these, assign both of the devices and the user account to the access profile "John".

Click "Apply" to save the settings.

This concludes the configuration of the parental controls.

You can always call up http://fritz.box/surf.lua on a device to view all of the restrictions that are valid for that particular device.

4 Implementing additional security measures

Adjusting the "Standard" access profile

Deny internet access to members of the "standard" access profile to ensure that parental controls cannot be bypassed:

Note:All devices in the FRITZ!Box home network that have not been assigned to a specific profile are automatically assigned to the "Standard" access profile.

Click on the "Access Profiles" tab and then the (edit) button for the "Standard" profile.

Enable the option "never" in the "Time Limit" section.

Enable the option "Use of guest access blocked".

Click "OK" to save the access profile.

Internet use is now blocked for all devices that are not assigned individual access profiles in the FRITZ!Box. Assign all devices in the "Standard" profile that should still be able to access the internet to a different profile, for example the "Unrestricted" access profile.

Setting up password protection for FRITZ!Box

The FRITZ!Box is already password protected in the factory settings. If you disabled the FRITZ!Box's password protection, enable it again:

If each user should use a unique password to access the FRITZ!Box, enable the option "Login with FRITZ!Box user name and password".

If all users should use a shared password to access the FRITZ!Box, enable the option "Login with the FRITZ!Box password" and enter a password of your choice that will be required to access the FRITZ!Box user interface.